VoIP Now

Bike-Powered Voice?

Now here's a great green idea: sustainable energy thanks to you, via an exercise bike. Well, that's nothing new, but Motorola has taken it a step further and created a docking station for recharging your cell phone. In fact, you can use it with a regular bike as well. [AVING via Crave.]

Now maybe you'll get off your chair from watching Joost Internet TV (IPTV) and go ride a bike. You can consider it practice for when the Apple Phone comes out, since it's expected to be a drain on batteries. This is a concept that's been overdue.

Voice Applications: What The H*ck Is PoIP?

Despite the ridiculous name, PoIP [C|Net] isn't such a bad idea. Attendance at places of worship have decreased, partly because of loss of faith, partly because of busy lives. PoIP, or Pray Over Internet Protocol (though it should probably be "Prayer") lets prayers be broadcast over speakers.

This is really an extension of using VoIP for intercom systems, which some public  schools are now using. But there's a lot of potential here. Maybe an enterprising person of the cloth could take confessions over Skype, with donations made via PayPal. Faith groups could get together and have prayer over Skypecasts. Marginalized faith groups that are spread out over the world (for example, the Baha'i) could synchronize their prayer. There's a lot of potential for wonderful global village applications here.

Unfortunately, Even Skype Can't Get PayPal Payments Right

If you don't already know, the online payments processor PayPal is owned by eBay, who also owns the Skype VoIP soft client and service. I finally convinced myself that the N. American Skype promo, which is only US$14.95 for a full year of unlimited calling, is worth buying. Even though I won't use it much until after I move to Toronto later this year, the $14.95 deal ends in a few days and increases to $29.95 after Jan 31st.

So, with PayPal being a sister company, you'd think Skype could get the payment process simplified. I just went through the process, and clicked on the "pre-approved" checkbox (for simplifying later Skype purchases), online to find that instead of taking money out of my PayPal account, the transaction wanted me to add a credit card. I don't use them, plain and simple. So that means I had to start the whole process over, but without the preapproved setting. Which means that if I want any additional services, I have to go through the process again.

Of course, Skype doesn't yet have SkypeIn numbers for my area (soon to be Toronto), and the promo gives me free calling within Canada and the US for a year, so the point is moot. That is, I don't need the preapproved option yet, but I will. And then again, this is a PayPal problem that I repeatedly encounter when I try to buy subscriptions or give pre-approval for something. That means, with my forgetful nature, businesses lose out on sales from me. I just wish they'd display a clear message saying that that such and such an option requires a credit card.

Lucille Ball: The Original Phone Prankster?

In an episode of I Love Lucy (1950s) running this morning on the Comedy Network, Lucille Ball proves why she's one of the original phone pranksters. Her husband Ricky Ricardo is trying to get the owner of the nightclub he performs at to pay him more money. The owner, played by Gale Gordon, who was Lucy's boss in the later 1960s series The Lucy Show", tells Ricky that he can't match the other offers Ricky has (supposedly) been getting.

So Lucy, her usual well-intending but trouble-making self, teams up with Ethel and Fred Mertz to phone in nightclub reservations under different identities. They arrive at the club all dressed up and then leave when they "find out" that Ricky Ricardo isn't performing.

Not quite as extreme or rude as The Jerky Boys, but probably extreme for the leave-it-to-beaver 1950s. Now I'm wondering how much of the soon-to-be expected VoIP spam is going to be prank calls from the next generation of jerky boys and silly redheads (Lucy). Google's click to call service was reportedly the subject of half-assed nonsense, with pranksters calling up businesses and hanging up.

Of course, as far as I know, you can't spoof your Skype or SightSpeed identity, so it's hard to use either to prank someone. But with click-to-call buttons, you can remain anonymous with some services. So it'll be interesting to see whether click-to-call buttons catch on or not.

VoIP Costs To Increase?

[warning: rant ahead] I'm not sure about cable providers in the U.S., but Rogers Cable in the province of Ontario, Canada, is increasing Internet access costs. Now, up here, cable service is a virtual monopoly by region, so my only choices are cable or high-speed dialup. Both have their pros and cons. I'm not happy with my cable Internet service, and now I have to pay more. The only other choice I have is my wireless data connection through my Palm Treo (through Telus Mobility), which costs $100/m and is limited to 250Mb per month, which I use up in two days of normal surfing.

On a side note, Rogers is also pulling MSNBC, the only TV station I watch during the day, to keep up on the tech industry. They're moving it off the basic cable package to a Personal TV package. So now, if I want to keep up on the tech market, product announcements, stock prices etc., I have to pay an extra $30 or so month to get a 6-pack of TV channels I don't give a damn about. And of course, Rogers is always so customer conscious that they're only taking complaints by snail mail. What decade is this?

So cable companies continue to wield infrastructure control and charge us whenever they want. (Who said the net neutrality battle was won?) I think we're going to pay increasingly more for Internet access no matter what the reason is called. And no matter which VoIP provider you pick, you'll still pay more to the cable companies. Unless of course you choose an alternate provider type such as high-speed dialup, satellite, or powerline. On the other hand, with IPTV clients such as Joost, maybe we won't need our cable TV packages for much longer.

Seinfeld's Kramer Predicted The Future Of Voice?

Didn't catch the title but in one episode of the TV sitcom Seinfeld, crazy Kramer predicts the future (2000), saying that we'll all be on permanent speed dial, and that calls will just come into our brains. This was in response to Jerry's new fling (Lauren Graham of the Gilmore Girls) putting him on her speed dial at #7, after two dates, then moving him to #9. Meanwhile, her stepmother comes after Jerry, ready to defend her #1 spot against Jerry.

Well, I'm happy to report that VoIP means never having to be a position on a speed dial, at least in soft clients. Everyone in your buddy list is #1. Unfortunately, brain-based presence features just aren't here yet, 8 years after Kramer's prediction. I guess we're waiting on a skull USB port first.

Voice 4.0?

The title of this post is in reference to one called web4.0 that Seth Godin recently wrote. But as interesting and cool as that is, forget that and read his Inventing a new cell phone. In it, he references the new Apple phone and how doesn't really re-invent the cellphone. But wait, that's not all. It's his suggestions for what a reinvented cellphone might be able to that's required reading. Us VoIP bloggers have probably all already read it, but VoIP and cellular providers and cell phone manufacturers all need to read this wisdom.

Amongst the suggestions are features that require really smart smartphones and application servers, as well as data format compatibility for presence capabilities. I'll admit I'm not particularly good at describing presence features. If you want to know more, I highly recommend Alec Saunders Saunderslog and his writing about presence.

Seth doesn't mention VoIP in his list, but the fact is, pretty much every single wish can really only be implemented via advanced voice applications and infrastructure. VoIP (i.e., IP-based) providers could score a coup implementing all these features. My vote for a test platform is the Mobile Linux Initiative. There already are Linux phones, and they're undoubtedbly cheaper than the Apple Phone. (Apple is forcing cellular providers not to discount the phone. Great marketing strategy, Steve.) What's more, anyone who has programmed on Linux systems knows how powerful the apps can be, and with a small memory footprint at that.

I can "see" Seth Godin's wishlist of cell phone app features being an extension of crowdsensing applications. In my humble (or not) estimation, every single feature can be implemented. Whether any provider will do so or not remains to be seen.

IPTV: The Future of Television?

You're asking who the heck am I to weigh in on this? Well, nothing more than a lowly technoblogger and a TV junkie. VoIP is a killer application of the Internet's "tubes" (heh), but with programs like Damaka, Democracy and Joost, IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) is right up there amongst the great Internet apps. What are the pros and cons of IPTV? Let's consider...

• The long tail effect.
     
  • Content producers: This means that marginal viewership in North America is no reason any longer to cancel a show. Some of the best TV shows ever made are now in syndication around the world, and new episodes would no doubt be welcomed. The Internet can and does support small productions. On the other hand, they now have more competition, since the cost of entry and distribution is greatly reduced.
    
  • Viewers: Variety of content beyond what even Digital TV, with it's 600 channels of the same damn thing in 4 time zones, offers. They also have access to obscure content that they may not otherwise see but is valuable to them.
   
• Demographics.
     
  • Broadcasters: Those broadcasters showing full episodes via streaming video on their websites can now determine the approximate location of their viewers via their computer's IP address. They can also segregate viewers, blocking anyone outside a certain geographic area.
    
  • Advertisers: Their paid-for "content" can't be fast-forwarded over using tools like TiVo or DVRs. At least, not that I'm aware of, though this may change.
    
  • Viewers: Blocked from watching content; geographic discrimination. But this isn't really that different than the current broadcasting model.
   
• Custom viewing.
     
  • Viewers: viewers have the pleasure of time-shifting and custom viewing schedules.
    
  • Content producers: Possibly relieved to know that if their regular TV broadcast is up against a big show, people will still be able to view the show later. For example, when I was still helping out at my mother's diner, I could watch TV on my laptop using Orb when it wasn't busy.
   

Now, these are only some of the pros and cons I can think of off the top of my head. What about you? Do you watch TV via the Internet? Or maybe you use a TV tuner card on your computer - the step before full digital Internet TV/ IPTV.

Internet TV: Let There Be Joost

Joost, formerly known as TVP (The Venice Project) is the new P2P (peer-to-peer) Internet TV client from the boys who founded Skype and Kazaa. I got on the private beta test list before the name change and for TOS/ NDA reasons, I haven't written much about software.

Fact is, I didn't really test the old TVP version that I installed during the weeks before Christmas 2006. My cable-based connection in Dec was horribly slow, and my wireless router seems to make slow connections worse (yeah, it's password -protected and uses WPA encryption). So long story short, I tried TVP for a few minutes here and there and never actually saw any video and could only comment on the interface. Well, not really, according to the NDA, I guess.

But now that Joost is into public beta, I figure that I can carefully write a bit about it. Well, it appears that the new version uses a lot smaller executable file size. If I'm not mistaken, TVP was 250 Mb (though I can't remember, and I've wiped the download). Joost is tiny in comparison.

My Internet connection issues must be over as well, as right now, I'm watching the making of the Red Hot Chili Peppers hilarious tribute video Dani California. With the exception of a bit of starting and stopping, I swear I'm watching TV and not Internet TV (aka IPTV). But the stopping and starting is more than likely completely due to my RAM usage being maxed out than any problems with Joost. It also helps that I have a dual processor, I think.

I'm incredibly impressed with the video quality, the simple clean interface, and the variety of content already, including some documentaries and "critical shorts". As a TV junkie since my childhood (anyone remember the TV show Herman's Head? That speaks to me.) Though there's no way I'll be watching the "channel" of the world's stupidest celebrity, Paris Hilton.

Speaking of content, Nettwerk Records, one of my all time fave labels (aside from 4AD) has a channel as well. Nettwerk has always been very forward thinking. Back when the Internet just went public, I found that big labels were very reluctant to even set up a website. I sent Nettwerk an email suggesting they create one, and they responded that they already. Stupid me. I checked it out, and I have to say I'm not surprised they're in the channel list for Joost. Though I am surprised that the David Bowie, who a few years back incorporated himself and sold futures (and even had an ISP for a while), isn't part of this. He and David Byrne are both forward thinkers that I expected here, along with, say, Laurie Anderson.

Now I could write at great length about how groundbreaking I think Joost is, but I have to stop somewhere. Let's wrap up, bad with the good:

• There's no VoIP, though there is Gmail and Jabber text chat.
• The ads are already here and can't be fast-forwarded through. But I assume they pay for the content. T-Mobile and Garnier are some of the ones I saw.
  
• When I shut down my Firefox browser, Joost seemed to grab a huge slice of the newly available RAM. Though when my browser was restarted, it when back to using only between 8-33% of RAM.
• There are loads of plugins, but most don't interest me. (Being able to text chat with others about a channel or video is a cool, web2.0 idea, but I don't have time for it.) I watch content minimize while I research or write articles, so I have to limit my "interaction" time.
   

My external TV tuner card might get less use now, but Joost isn't going to replace my regular viewing of the CSI and Law & Order franchises, not to mention some of the newer comedies, Supernatural, Smallville, and a variety of forensic shows. Will Joost have such content in the future? Who knows? But with my cable company increasing my Internet access costs and removing good channels from the basic package, I'm likely to lean towards watching more Joost. If not, I need to buy a quad core computer and multiple monitors to satisfy my video jones to watch both at the same time.

Yahoo Messenger: Where In The World Is...?

Yahoo Messenger 8 has a neat little plugin called Map Your Contacts. Use it to map either a single address or several from either or both of your Yahoo Mail or Outlook contacts. A Yahoo Maps panel pops out of Messenger with icons marking the addresses you've mapped. Very cool. Now if only something like this was feasible on a cell phone instead of just a laptop (while you're travelling). Hmm. Google does allow mobile access to Google Maps... But Google Talk doesn't do plugins. Not that I'm aware of. Which is surprising considering that Google has APIs (Application Programmer Interfaces) for so many of their other tools.

Jane, Get Me Out Of This Crazy Meeting

Not so long ago, I referred to an article or two that said that a significant percentage of survey respondents admitted to lying over the phone. At least more often than in person - that is, as long as they couldn't see who they were lying to, and couldn't be seen. I didn't matter whether they were using their cell phone or a regular phone, just not a video phone or through video calling.

Well, if you're a little uncomfortable about flat-out lying, here's a feature from Getmooh that gives you an alibi for getting out of various situations, including bad dates or boring meetings. Jane and George Jetsons of present day might just be clapping in appreciation.

Is Nokia The Most Innovative Cell Phone Company Or What?

While Apple is just entering a saturated cell phone market without VoIP, Nokia has been releasing a series of phones that have great support for VoIP and mobile video. Now they're offering SIP support. Innovative or what? I haven't managed to get my hands on any Nokia gadgets, despite their blogger relations program. But from what I've been reading on other VoIP blogs, I'd have to declare Nokia the most innovative telecom -related company out there. And from the look of things, they'll hold that title for 2007 as well. They were on my 7 VoIP/ IP innovators and ideamakers for 2006, and I'm sure they'll be on my 2007 list as well.

Ballmer's Jive Talking: Or Steve vs Steve

How unoriginal. Like Pavlov's dog reacting automatically to the jingle of a bell, Steve Ballmer went on about the new Apple phone (which has no VoIP), saying how it was overpriced and overhyped. Yeah, it is overpriced (Apple's making 50% = US$250 profit on each unit.)

Gee Steve B, kind sounds like your blabber about how innovative the new MS Vista OS is. Golly gee, it's only bloody operating system, and unless you've managed to come up with your own version of Mac OS X or Linux, I'm not buying it. In fact, I'm really not buying it. When I buy my next PC, I'm explicitly going to ask that it not have Vista. That is, if I don't buy a Mac instead. (Will probably buy both, but I won't spend $500+ on an "iPhone" with no VoIP.)

I never understand how Microsoft and Apple keep getting called rivals. They have NEVER been rivals. One is a software company and one is a hardware company. It's like comparing... well... hardware and software. Microsoft might have ventured into videogame hardware (which Apple has stayed away from) and the Zune, but Apple's media player (i.e., iPods) are miles ahead on design. Microsoft is just playing wannabe. And this supposed fight for the digital living room, can't be a close call. It's like Mohammed Ali (Apple's iTV) going up against my grandmother (Microsoft's Media Center Edition OS). There's no comparision. Again.

Now Microsoft's stock might have gone up 60% over the past 6 months, compared to sideways behavior for 5+ years, but Apple is Steve jobs is Apple, and Microsoft was Bill Gates is not Steve Ballmer. Jobs has a brilliant mind, and Apple has incredible design. Without Gates, all Microsoft has left is Ballmer's bluff and bluster. Which is why they won't dominate the IP world, in VoIP and IPTV and media players.

How VoIP, Presence and IP Conferencing Can Help Your Career

Phoneboy recently asked (on Web Worker Daily) whether telecommuting affects your career, in response to a similar piece at Network World. If someone asked me that in the 90s or even a few years ago, I'd have to say yes from what I've seen of other people. It's primarily because of what he said: executives tend to want/ need to meet their charges. It's been hard to do over traditional telecom and conferencing solutions that the average company can afford.

Now, we're entering into an era where VoIP, IP conferencing and presence applications are setting up the framework where I don't think telecommuting will be as much of a barried to career advancement. A couple of things still need to change: faster computers, faster Internet connections and attitudes. It might be years (maybe a half generation?) before being a full-time telecommuting executive becomes commonplace. It might become a reward of the job. (Part-time telecommuting has been allowed at all levels of staff for years, as I learned at IBM in 2001, even for meetings.) The acceptance may take time but the technology is already here.

Now That's What I'm Talking About: An Affordable Apple iPhone

This is exactly what I was thinking when Steve Jobs announced the iPhone and tried to explain why it was so expensive: why not make it more affordable and grab a bigger market share. They must be the only company in the world expecting consumers to accept them (Apple) taking a 50% slice of the US$499 and $599 prices. Is that stupidity or arrogance or marketing brilliance? I've already come out of the Apple fanboy closet, but that doesn't mean I have to like the way they operate, so I doubt it's brilliance.

And it doesn't even have VoIP like a lot of us were no doubt hoping for and expecting. Well, apparently Jajah, who added new countries recently, might be available on the iPhone, which will reduce long distance calling costs. But how does Jobs declare the "iPhone" a technological marvel when it doesn't even have VoIP? How hard would that have been to have? Five bills and no VoIP? The good, the bad and the ugly of the iPhone doesn't justify the price, especially when there already are a couple of buttonless Linux phones, albeit obscure.

If you want to get technical, aside from the "on/off" button, I never use the keypad on my Palm Treo 650, opting to use the soft keypad instead. In fact, I can often navigate most of what I want to do on the Treo using just one thumbnail. (Though if I'm in a hurry, I'll use the stylus for accuracy.)

It's all about the Cult of Steve. See the Steve Jobs/ iPhone parody on MadTV to understand what I'm saying. It'll probably be at the Mad TV YouTube channel soon.

Now That's What I'm Talking About: Skype-to-Blog

Literally. Are you a blogger that's too busy to type up your ideas? Or maybe you're a slow typist. Just last night, I was lamenting that my 100 or so backburnered personal blog posts couldn't some how be published to text via my voice. Today, imagine my delight when I read at the Skype Journal about Skype-to-Blog, which harnesses SpinVox's voicemail to text functionality via a Skype account and then posts it to Simon Crowfoot's Speak-a-blog blog.

Apparently it only works in English, and best for British English at that. But it's a great, functional voice application and an example of why I love Skype so much. Sure, I love SightSpeed too, but they don't yet have an open API.

Skype: The Price is Right?

At the end of the month, the SkypeOut rates for Canada and the US are going up to US$29.95. That's not a monthly rate; it's for unlimited calling for a full year. The current promo rate is US$14.95 for the full year - less than $2/m. I'm probably going to take advantage of the special rate on the last day of January.

I don't typically make a lot of long distance calls anymore, now that I work out of the house, and since I use text chat or email for the most part. However, I'm moving back to the big city, Toronto, Canada, sometime this summer or early fall, to be able to make it to various tech conferences and possibly do some teaching.

That means that if I want to stay in touch with my parents, it'll be a lot of long distance (two different places). And that'll be from my cell phone, since I haven't had a land line in around 10 years and don't plan to. That'll add up, even for the occasional call every month. Skype's price looks more appealing now (though they still don't have SkypeIn numbers for Toronto while Gizmo does).

Even at the doubled price after Jan 31st, it could still be worth it. Skype Journal's Phil Wolff puts the Pro Skype pricing in perspective: 4.3 SkypeOut minutes per day pays back the Pro calling plan, when compared to the new per minute rates - which are higher than they were last year, with no promise of quality. (He even offers a spreadsheet if you want to see the calculations.)

And that's my main beef. The quality of my Skype calls weren't great in December. What's more, since my mother doesn't have a computer and my father doesn't want to use VoIP, for them to call me is going to be costly for them. One the one hand, it's a piddly sum for a full year of unlimited calls. On the other, both parents have complained to me of the quality of my Skype calls to them, even though we all live in the same town. The other problem, as mentioned above, is that SkypeIn doesn't support Toronto yet. It'll be expensive for my parents to call me (my brother just emails me).

That means I need some other option, possibly SkyNET-tel's 1-800 number and a Toronto VoIP number for inbound calling. Why can't there be a single computer-based VoIP solution for a city as large as Toronto (as large as Atlanta, Georgia, if I'm not mistaken). No doubt people in other cities are wondering the same thing. So is the price right or isn't it? I'm undecided.

Switching To VoIP

Ted Wallingford's Switching to VoIP book from O'Reilly first came out in Jun 2005, but I noticed it being advertised on his site recently, while catching up on my reading. Now, analysts have declared at the end of 2006 that VoIP has now gone mainstream. So Ted's book might be a good one to pick up. Ted is also the author of the more recent VoIP Hacks.

I'm predicting that we'll see more and more VoIP books appearing on the market, several probably in the edit process already. But the good news for publishers and authors is that the lifecycle of VoIP books is probably going to be longer than a lot of computer-related books. My PHP + mySQL web programming book (designed by me but only co-authored) came out in Nov 2002 and was out of print by the next year because it was outdated. As long as VoIP books focus on features and hacks and are supplemented with a blog for updates, they might just stay relevant for an extra year.

The extra market that'll appear for VoIP books is in education, as more programs appear for training people in the high end of VoIP skills for niches such as IP PBX, installation, performance monitoring, load balancing, security, etc.

Video Campaigns: Can You Smell What Barack Is Cooking?

Senator Barack Hussein Obama must have the right-wing TV show hosts running scared if they're already taking xenophobic swings at his unusual name, despite his having been born and raised in the United States as a patriotic American - unlike California Governor Arnold Terminator, whom some people want to rewrite US laws for, to get him into a presidential race - shudder to think. But Obama has made a smart move: embracing web video for his campaign.

While I have a different preference for the next US Prez, I sent Senator Obama's campaign an email suggesting they follow Peter Csathy's wise recent advice about video blogging and video politicking. This was a few days ago, before I knew that the Senator is working with Brightcove on a channel. Apparently this was just before Brightcove pulled
in nearly US$60M in next-round VC funding?

At any rate, I'm paraphrasing what Peter has said: the next President will utilize Internet video better than everyone other candidate. Now if an IPTV/ video streaming company got smart, they'd create a special campaign channel and show paid content from all candidates. Just my feeling, but they could pull a great deal of web traffic and pay for it with advertising. Teaming up with Google on their Google Video or YouTube sites is one option.

Then again, it may not be necessary, as Senator Hilary Clinton, too, has just embraced online video chats. Well, let's hope that they all follow my video calling etiquette, as I'm sure no one wants to see the next President via video in their undies.

More iPhone Trademark Owners?

Comwave, a VoIP company with TV commercials as annoying as Vonage's, is claiming they've had the iPhone trademark in Canada since 2004 (even though Cisco Linksys division has had it longer in the US and elsewhere). They also say there's nothing to confirm that Apple will market their iPhone here. Um, are you kidding me? Of course Apple is marketing their iPhone here, through Rogers, albeit not until 2008. There are a lot of Mac lovers in Canada. Should all prove very interesting. I guess both Cisco and Comwave stand to make some good moola, should Apple license the trademark from them. (There's also a company called Teledex who released a SIP-based phone called iPhone IP in 2005, though I haven't seen them mentioned lately.)

Spam, Spam Me Don't

This article about cell phone spam is now proven to be false, but the thought is frightening. Imagine if your cell phone number was legally allowed to be given to telemarketing firms, who could then call or text you mercilessly, all at a cost to you? Your monthly minutes would be eaten up fast. If it happened, would you throw your cellphone in the trash? If you have a contract, forget about it. It'll still cost you.

So let's hope that someone in Washington is at least aware of the potential threat and makes sure consumers don't get stiffed. Pretexting is bad enough; this would be even worse. On the other hand, I can "see" how a Linux-based cell phone could be programmed to auto-filter out unknown callers. Auto-blocking of unknown numbers should be a standard option. Does anyone know if any cellular providers offer this?

Of course, you can still get the equivalent of cell phone spam by using an email text-to-voice application and listening to your spam.

VoIP Roundup - Thur Jan 25, 2006

TellMe: What's The 4-1-1?
TellMe, a new service for Java-enabled mobile phones, is a potential 411-killer, and voice-activated at that. See Techcrunch for details.

Skype Gross Profits Heading Upwards
Apparently in Q4 2006, Skype sold a lot of minutes: US$1.5 billion worth, compared to $1.1B in Q3. More at GigaOm.

Bring The Woize
UK-based Woize is bringing it stateside in February. All 50 states will have VoIP service and DID numbers. [via VoIP News] So the already competitve US market will have yet another contender.

I Think I Cracked My (Blue)Tooth
One flaw of Bluetooth is that it's susceptible to easy hacking. Well, that just got even easier with Bluetooth cracking tools released by a couple of German programmers. Companies apparently don't put as much emphasis on security for Bluetooth, and these cracking tools are proof-of-concept.

News Flash: Entire World Becomes Apple Fanboys + Girls

Or so you'd think everyone wetting themselves about the new Apple phone - which incidentally everyone including The Steve is still calling the iPhone, despite Cisco's legal claim to that name.

During an interview with CNBC TV, Steve Jobs, aka Stock Options Steve, claimed that mobile video is a killer app because they'd sold 50,000,000 downloads of TV show episodes. Yeah, but is anyone actually watching them on their video iPods, afer the content purchase? Research says that a very small percentage (can't find the reference; guessing at 16%) use the video features of their mobile devices, including the iPod. That's hardly a killer app now, is it Stevie?

But what's that got to do with the new Apple Phone? Well, this device, if you don't already know, must be like manna from heaven because it's got everything: calling, video, audio playing, etc. Though it ain't got buttons. A phone with no buttons, and it took them 200 filed patents. And they're banking on, changing their name from Apple Computers, Inc., to just Apple, Inc., to show their decreasing focus on just computers. Hoo boy. Wonder what Sir Paul McCartney is going to say about Stevie once again trying to steal the name "Apple".

Said Jobs wisely, "...wish we could sell for $100 but we can't. It's a little more expensive than that." A little? The phone goes for US$499 and $599. That's not a little, Steve. Once again, you've maintained your elitist strategy.

Now, I've secretly been an Apple fanboy since my hands first touched one of the 1st generation Apple computers. But Apple's always been just beyond my computer budget. While it's true that my next computer has a 70% chance of being an Apple, call me an old-fashioned gadget freak because I can't fathom spending $500+ on a device that could be easily lost or damaged. (Sure, my Treo 650 runs for $399+, but I got it during a promo for $150. And my beloved iPod nano was a gift.) But for those people who are not fanboys/ girls and just want a phone, the Apple Phone is just too much. Well, at least you can look at the phone. I won't pay for this phone, but if Apple ever comes up with a voice-activated car....

The All-New Ford/ Microsoft Car: Now With VoIP + Conferencing

Bwah ha ha ha ha. Just imagine it now: in the near future, all over North America, you'll see drivers talking to themselves.

What they'll really be doing is talking to Sync, the new automobile operating system from Microsoft, to become available in a number of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models starting in the 2008 model year. Like drivers don't have enough distractions such as mobile phones, now they can talk to a Ford car courtesy of Microsoft? What will Sync do when someone has a case of the road rage?

Couldn't Ford have come up with a better business partner? [NYTimes free reg needed] Like working with a company with operating system software that actually works? Microsoft's the company who in 2006 had 284 unsafe web browser days due to flaws through which malware attacks could be made (and they only issue software patches once a month). Do you really want to be driving a car that runs an operating system created by Microsoft? I'd considered a Ford for a future vehicle, but this move ensures I will never, ever buy a Ford.

Surely Stock Options Steve would have entertained the idea of an iCar. Or one of the Linuxes maybe? Ford Ubuntu. I like the sound of that: able to go where no vehicle has gone, and now with cron tables. You can grep your car. But Ford, being a fiercely loyal American car company, probably thinks Linux is for communists.

Let's just hope that when you have to inevitably reboot Sync, the car's engine doesn't shut off and restart. Unless you're already stuck in traffic Though the full Sync feature list is pretty impressive. Everything is voice-activated and Bluetooth-enabled, hence my quip about talking to yourself. There's VoIP, call waiting, call conferencing, a push-to-talk button in the steering wheel, and transfer of conversations from phone to car. But my feeling is that if a car company builds in conferencing abilities into their vehicles, the country has a serious workaholism problem. Can't wait until the first virus, worm or Trojan hits Sync. Color me unimpressed.

RIM Mum On Stock Options Review

The NY Times had a story on Christmas day regarding a RIM stock options review. RIM, maker of the BlackBerry, initiated the review in Sep 2006 themselves but have not provided investors or regulators much in the way of details. Even the letter submitted to the OSC (province of Ontario Securities Commission) didn't clear things up much. The stock jumped approximately US$50 between Sep and Dec. More details at the NY Times (free registration may be required).

RIM got out of a patent infringement lawsuit earlier this year and recenty levied a copyright infringement lawsuit on Samsung's Blackjack device, amidst a great Q3 2006 in terms of revenues. Regardless of the hubbub, RIM seems like teflon, able to weather the goings on, fair or otherwise. I've met former employees who retired early because their stock options made them young millionaires. My feeling is that the company will continue to make millionaires for a long time because of good overall management and vision. [I own no RIM stock, but may purchase some in late 2007.]

Video Killed The Mobile Phone?

ABI Research released a report in late December stating that the mobile video market in mainland China will pass 32Mln users in 2008. The significance of this is tied to the fact that the Beijing Olympics takes place in that year. There will be two different technologies in use: broadcasting (27%) and unicast streaming (73%). Some users are expected to use both technologies. The Chinese SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television) announced two voluntary standards last year: DAB, which will give way to T-DMB. More details at ABI Research.

I'm still the Doubting Thomas on video about mobiles. Is there enough bandwidth? Are screens even big enough to prevent eyestrain, and to thus be enjoyable? While mobile video use will undoubtedly increase in the next few years, there's a difference between conducting short video calls and watching prolonged mobile video. But if there's any candidate for enjoyable mobile video, I'd have to say it's likely the Nokia N-series of phones - though I haven't laid my mitts on one yet.